Hartlepool folk urged to use their votes

The council is urging residents to ensure they are eligible to vote before the deadlines later this month.

Residents who want to have their say should sign up to vote during the two elections on May 5 when voters can elect one councillor in each of the town’s 11 wards to serve on Hartlepool Council and elect a Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland.

If people are not on the Electoral Register they will not be entitled to vote.

To be eligible to vote, electors must be 18 years of age on the day of the elections.

At the end of January this year, all Hartlepool households were sent a Household Notification Letter which included details of who is eligible to vote in each property.

If the information in that letter was correct, voters did not need to do anything, but if changes were required, the letter asked residents to get in touch with the Council’s Elections Team. There was also information in the letter about how to apply for a postal vote.

Following on from that, some very important deadlines are now imminent:

l The last day for people to register to vote, if they are not already on the Electoral Register, is Monday, April 18.

l The last day for people to apply for a postal vote is no later than 5pm on Tuesday, April 19.

l The last day for people to apply for a proxy vote – under which you appoint someone you trust to vote on your behalf - is no later than 5pm on Tuesday, April 26.